Green cover disappearing in quake areas

By Irfan Ghauri

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: People in AJK are cutting down trees for wood to rebuild houses, Daily Times has learnt. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has warned that deforestation poses immediate and long-term threats to the environment.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake the IUCN had warned that if alternative energy sources and construction methods were not introduced, people would resort to cutting trees to rebuild houses and cook food.

“Timber stored in the affected areas is being transported at an alarming rate for sale in markets in the lowlands,” said a report recently issued by the IUCN.

The most dangerous landslides were reported in Allai Valley, Balakot, Muzaffarabad and Bagh, which also destroyed forest cover, the IUCN report said. Solid and liquid waste from the quake camps is also harmful to forests and wildlife, the report said.

Conservationists demanded that the government make plans to save the remaining forest cover and wildlife along with the reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes. The regulatory capacity of the AJK government’s Forest Department has been badly compromised due to loss of human resources, office buildings and vehicles. More than 75 percent of the department’s staff was affected by the quake.